It is essential that small craft shall have some means of auxiliary propulsion other than the sails or motor with which they are equipped. The wind may die, rigging may fail, and motors are prone to malfunction. In addition, when manoeuvring such craft around a restricted anchorage, or in a canal, sails or power may be impractical as a means of propulsion.
Small boats are conventionally provided with auxiliary manual propulsion by means either of paddles or oars, the two terms being synonymous for the purposes of this description. Paddles and oars are satisfactory generally when used on small boats designed for paddling or rowing. Where paddles or oars are used as auxiliary propulsion devices on small sail boats or small power boats, they become impractical. The difficulties of attempting to paddle a sail boat, or small power boat, are too well known to require description.
In spite of these problems, there are now numerous regulations regarding the equipment and operation of such small craft. Normally such regulations specify that the craft must be equipped with "paddles". Penalties can be imposed on persons operating such craft without having "paddles" on board.
Various different means of manual propulsion devices have been proposed in the past, to replace or supplement paddles. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 678,193, 1,197,239, 2,534,180, 2,628,586, and 4,458,038. All of these devices have suffered from various mechanical design problems, such as would make it seriously doubtful whether they could ever operate in the manner intended.
None of them are "auxiliary" means of propulsion, and none are dismountable for storage. However, all of them suffer from a more fundamental defect, namely that none of them could qualify as "paddles" within boating regulations as currently in force. Small craft, both sail and power, are thus currently equipped with two or more paddles of conventional design, with a view to complying with boating regulations, whereas in fact such paddles are virtually useless for the purpose intended and still leave the craft with virtually no means of auxiliary propulsion to supplement the sail or motor with which it is equipped.
Clearly it is desirable to provide a more effective means of propulsion for small craft which effectively permits the operator to move the craft when the sail or motor is not in use, and which at the same time is readily portable, can be stowed away when not in use, and which complies with boating regulations, thereby rendering the carrying of conventional paddles unnecessary.